Lamp filament mounting apparatus



*limit Aug. 26, 1958 Filed Feb. 28, 1955 H. D. RowAN x-:TAL

LAMP FILAMENT MOUNTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors: Hartley D.Rowan. Edward C. De eorge, by M57? Their` A orney Aug. 26, 1958 H. D.RowAN ETAL LAMP PILAMENT MOUNTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb.28, 1955 eGeorge,

Inventors Hartley D. Rowan. Maw

Their Attorney Edward C. D

United States Patent() 2,849,032 LAMP FELAMENT MUNTING APPARATUS HartleyD. Rowan, Cleveland, and Edward C. De George, Parma, Ohio, assignors toGeneral Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application February28, 1955, Serial No. 491,113 12 Claims. (C1. 140-71.6)

Our invention relates to apparatus for mounting lamp filaments and thelike automatically, and more particularly to apparatus for mounting arelatively short length of filament wire between closely spacedleading-in wires of a miniature type lamp mount.

Apparatus for automatically mounting incandescent lamp filaments must becapable of performing the difficult task of feeding and handling theextremely fine wire of which the filaments are ordinarily made and, inthe case of miniature lamps, must also be capable of mounting theextremely line wire within the restricted space limitations of suchminiature type lamp mounts. In addition, the apparatus must cooperate inproper time relation with the other automatic means which arecustomarily provided on indexing type lamp mount-making machines formaking and preparing a lamp mount in readiness for the mounting of afilament thereon.

One object of our invention, therefore, is to provide automaticapparatus for mounting fine filament wires on the leading-in vwires oflamp mounts and for performing the mounting operation at relatively highspeed with the exactness of control and the freedom from damage to thefilament such as is necessary to the production of high quality lamps atlow cost.

Another object of our invention is to provide filament mountingapparatus which is adapted to perform the operations of advancing alength of filament wire, at the free end of a continuous supply thereof,into mounting relation to the leading-in wires of a lamp mount,fastening the said length of filament wire to the leading-in wires,shearing off the fastened length of filament wire from the supplythereof, and then recovering the loose end of the supply of filamentwire, and to perform these operations by simple and practical meansavoiding the intricate and complicated means and added fixtures of priorapparatus.

Still another object of our invention is to provide apparatus formounting filaments upon pairs of leading-in wires o-f mountsperiodically advanced to mounting relation to the said apparatus by aconveyor, and for mounting these filaments in a transverseposition withrelation to the direction of movement of the conveyor. A filamentmounting apparatus operating in such a manner enables the leading-inwire holding and working means of the mount making machine to beconstructed so as to operate with the leading-in wires of the lamp mountpositioned in a plane transverse to the path of movement of themount-supporting conveyor. An additional advantage of such .an operatingfilament-mounting apparatus is that it can be simply added to aconventional form of mount-making machine of the general type disclosedin Patent No. 1,733,881, Illingworth, dated October 29, 1929, to permitthe mounting of a second filament upon a mount after the first filamenthas been mounted thereon by the mount-making machine. In suchconventional type mount-making machines, the leading-in wires of thelamp mount are supported in and retained by a head at the periphery ofan indexing-turret, and the filament Ace mounting apparatus is arrangedat one of a plurality of work stations occupied by the head in thecourse of its indexed advance by the turret.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a pair of filament wirefeeding jaws located at one of the work stations of a mount-makingmachine are arranged to advance to and from the supply spool of filamentwire, located inboard of the mount-carrying turret, to draw from thespool a length of filament wire sufcient to form a filament and locatethe said wire length in a position such that it is directly opposite orabove the leading-in wires of the lamp mount when the latter ispositioned at the filament mounting station of the machine. The wirefeeding jaws and the supply spool are then arranged to move downward inunison to drape the wire length constituting the filament over a formingpin so as to form it into hairpin shape and also position it in propermounting relation to the leading-in wires of the mount which is thenindexed to the filament mounting station of the machine to bring theinner ends of a pair of leading-in wires of the mount into engagementwith the ends of the filament wire length. A pair of clamping jaws arethen arranged to close against the contiguous ends of the filament andthe leading-in wires to embed the filament ends in and fasten them tothe leading-in wires, after which a knife severs the length of filamentwire from the supply thereof to complete the filament mountingoperation. According to a further aspect of our invention, the filamentwire on the supply spool is drawn therefrom through an lassociatedspring-loaded guide which is movable lengthwise of the filament wiretherein and is arranged to be pushed back by the wire feeding jaws, uponadvance of the latter, so as to expose the free end of the filament wirefrom the guide and enable the wire feeding jaws to move over and gripthe said free end of the filament wire during the wire feedingoperation. In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, thefilament wire supply spool and the wire feeding jaws are arranged in aninitial position above the level of the leading-in wires of the lampmount on which the filament is to be mounted and in a plane transverseto the path of movement of the mount-carrying head so that a loweringmovement of the wire feeding jaws in unison with the associated wiresupply spool and the wire guide will operate to drape the filament wireover the forming pin and position the filament in mounting relation tothe leading-in wires of the mount which is then indexed to the mountingstation of the machine.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description of a species thereof and from theaccompanying drawings:

In the drawing, Fig. l is a side elevation, partly broken away, offilament mounting apparatus comprising our invention with the operatingparts thereof shown in their initial operative position at the start oftheir cycle of operation.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, on a slightly larger scale than Fig. 1 of thefront side of the lament mounting apparatus with the filament wiresupply spool and associated parts omitted therefrom in order to moreclearly illustrate the other parts of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a two-filament lampmount of the type to which the filament mounting apparatus of ourinvention is applicable for mounting one of the filaments thereon.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of one of the mount supporting heads of themount-making machine with an associated lamp mount and the filament wiresupply and feeding means of the apparatus shown in dash-dot lines.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the filament wire feeding andpositioning means of the mounting apparatus with the wirefeeding jawsthereof `shown advanced to their filament wire pick-up position and witha lamp mount shown in position in one of the heads of the mount-makingmachine.

Figs. 6, 7 and 7 are progressive views corresponding to Fig. of themounting apparatus and showing the successive operative steps performedthereby in mounting a filament upon a pair of leading-in wires of thelamp mount.

Referring to the drawings, the filament mounting apparatus of ourinvention is a completely self-contained unitary apparatus adapted toautomatically mount a length of filament wire between the upright endsof a pair of leading-in wires of a lamp mount 1. The particular lampmount 1 shown is of the type used in miniature buttseal typeincandescent lamps, and in the particular case illustrated is providedwith two separate filaments mounted dif-respective pairs of leading-inwires. The filament mounting apparatus of our invention is shown in thedrawings as incorporated in a conventional mount-making machine of thegeneral type disclosed in the above mentioned Illingworth Patent No.1,733,881 and comprising an indexing turret 2 provided around itsperiphery with a plurality of mount-carrying heads 3. The filamentmounting apparatus is located adjacent the path of travel of themount-carrying heads 3 of the machine at Birre-of the work stationsthereof, and in the particular instance shown is adapted to form andmount the second filament on the lamp mount 1 after the first lament hasbeen mounted thereon at a previous work station of the machine. As shownin Fig. 3, the lamp mount 1 comprises a coiled filament 4 connectedacross a pair of leading-in wires 5 and 6 and a second hairpin-shapedstraight wire filament 7 connected across a second pair of leadinginwires 8 and 9 so as to span the first filament 4. The four leading-inwires 5, 6, 8 and 9 of the mount 1 are joined together and held ininsulated relation to each other, to form a unitary structure, by avitreous or glass bead 10.

The filament mounting apparatus of our invention is designed to performthe operations necessary to form and mount the hairpin shaped filament 7on the leadingin wires 8 and 9, and it performs these operations as thelast step in the making of the lamp mount 1. The lamp mounts 1 aresupported in the mount-carrying heads 3 of the machine in a positionwith the filament-carrying inner end portions of the leading-in wiresextending more or less vertically upward from the glass bead 10 and withthe pair of leading-in wires 5 and 6 lying in a plane tangent to thedirection of movement thereof around the machine and with the other pairof leading-in wires 8 and 9 lying in a plane transverse to the saiddirection, or in other words radially of the turret 2. The positioningof the pair of leading-in wires 5, 6 in a plane tangent to the directionof advance movement of the heads 3, in the manner as the two leading-inwires of a single filament mount are customarily positioned during themanufacture thereof on conventional mount-making machines, thereforeenables the operations required to mount the coiled filament 5 on themount 1 to be performed by conventional mount-making apparatus such asdisclosed, for example, in the previously mentioned Illingworth Patent1,733,881. However, the positioning of the other pair of leading-inwires 8, 9 of the mount 1 in a plane at right angles to the plane ofleading-in wires 5, 6 and disposed radially of the turret 2 necessitatesthe use of filament mounting apparatus of entirely differentconstruction from that conventionally employed and, in addition,requires the use of a specially constructed mount-carrying head 3.

As shown in Fig. 4, the lamp mount 1 is supported in the head 3 throughthe gripping force of a pair of pivotable jaws 11 and 12 which engageand clamp the outer end portions of the leading-in wires 5, 6, 8 and 9,at points beneath the supporting glass bead 10, against the sides of afixed separator jaw 13. The jaws 11, 12 and 13 extend more or lessradially of the turret 2 and outwardly beyond the periphery thereof, andthe outer ends or gripping faces of the jaws are disposed obliquely tothe path A of travel or index movement of the head 3. The separator jaw13 maintains the two leading-in wires of each pair thereof inpredetermined spaced relation at all times. The outer or movable jaws11, 12 are pivoted upon pins 14 extending from the turret 2 so as to bepivotably movable in a horizontal plane, and in each instance they griptwo of the leading-in wires, i. e., one wire of each pair thereof. Thus,jaw 11 grips the two leading-in wires 5 and 8 while jaw 12 grips theother two leading-in wires 6 and 9. The oblique positioning of the jaws11, 12 and 13 to the path of index movement of the head 3 thus adaptsthe head 3 to the supporting of the lamp mount 1 with one pair ofleading-in wires 5 and 6 disposed in a plane tangent to the path A ofindex movement of the jaws and the other pair of leading-in wires 8 and9 disposed in a plane transverse thereto. The movable jaws 11 and 12each grip the two lead-in wires engaged thereby with equal pressure, thesaid jaws being provided for such purpose with face or gripping plates15 arranged for independent pivotal movement about respective pivot pins15' on the ends of the jaws 11 and 12. The face or gripping plates 15are of U form adapting them to straddle the ends of the jaws l1 and 12and giving them sufficient freedom of pivotal movement about the jawends to cause them to bear properly and uniformly against each of thetwo leading-in wires gripped thereby.

The cycle of operation of the filament mounting apparatus of ourinvention begins while the lamp mount 1 on which a filament 7 is to bemounted is still positioned at that work station of the machineimmediately preceding the filament mounting station thereof and beforeindex away from the latter station of the mount 1 which has just beenprovided with a filament 7. The mounting operation is initiated by theoperation of filament forming and positioning mechanism F to withdraw,from a spool 16 of filament wire located inboard of the turret, a lengthof filament wire 7 approximately sufficient to form the filament 7 to bemounted on the lamp mount 1. The filament wire 7 is withdrawn from thespool by the advance and retractive movement of a pair of wire-feedingjaws 17 and 18 which are horizontally reciprocable in a directionradially of the turret, the jaws 17, 18 advancing to engage and grip thefree end of the filament wire 7 extending from the supply spool 16 andthen retracting to draw off the spool the required length of filamentwire 7' for the lament 7. The supply spool 16 is pivotally mounted onthe inner end of a support arm 19 which overlies the peripheral portionof the turret 2, the supply spool for such purpose being provided withpivot studs 26 at each side thereof which rest in bearing slots 21 inthe support arm 19. The supply spool 16 and the wire feeding jaws 17, 18are mounted in opposed relation to each other, and in their initialoperative position, during which time the jaws 17, 18 operate towithdraw the filament wire from the spool, they are located at anelevation slightly above that of the mount 1 in the head 3, as shown inFig. 5. The filament wire supply spool 16 as well as the wire feedingjaws 17 and 18 are mounted on a vertically reciprocable carriage 22which is supported on a slide 23 vertically reciprocable in a guidebracket 24 upstanding from the base 25 of the mounting apparatus. Thewire feeding jaws 17 and 18 are constituted by integralspringcontractable arm extensions on a subslide 26 which is mounted forhorizontal sliding movement, radially of the turret 2, within a mainslide 27. The main slide 27 is also mounted for horizontal slidingmovement, radially of the turret 2, within horizontal ways in thecarriage 22.

In the operation of the filament wire feeding mechanism to withdraw alength of filament wire 7' from the supply spool 16 thereof, the wirefeeding jaws 17, 18 are first advanced horizontally from their retractedposition (as shown in Fig. l) to an advanced or wire pick-up position(Fig. 5) relative to the free end of the filament wire 7 which islocated within a spring-loaded guide 28 through which the filament wirepasses as it is withdrawn from the supply spool thereof. The wirefeeding jaws 17, 18 are contracted to their closed or wire-grippingposition by means of the engagement of cam surfaces 29, thereon withcorresponding inclined cam portions 31, 32, respectively, provided onthe main slide 27 at the forward end thereof. During the advancemovement of the wire feeding jaws 17, 18 and the associated subslide 26to their advanced or wire pick-up position, the subslide 26 and the mainslide 27 are interlocked so as to move as a unit by means of theengagement of a spring-loaded locking pin 33 carried by the main slidewithin an aperture or pocket 34 in the subslide. In such interlockedposition the main slide 27 is held in a position sufciently advancedrelative to the subslide 26 to disengage the cam portions 31, 32 of themain slide from the cam surfaces 29, 30 of the jaws 17, 18, therebyenabling the jaws to spring apart to their uncontracted or open positionfor entry of the filament wire 7 therebetween. The locking pin 33 isnormally urged downwardly into its locking position within the aperture34 by means of a compression coil spring 35 interposed between the headof the locking pin and a bracket 36 mounted on the back end of the mainslide 27.

The advance and retractive movement of the interlocked slides 26 and 27and the associated wire-feeding jaws 17, 18 is effected by a verticallyextending operating lever 37 which engages at its upper end with aroller 38 provided on the subslide 26 at the outer or rear end thereof.The operating lever 37 is pivoted at its lower end on a pivot pin 39mounted in a bracket 40 extending from the base 25 of the mountingapparatus. Intermediate its ends, the operating lever 37 is providedwith a cam follower roller 41 which rides within a cam groove 42 in adrum cam 43 mounted on an auxiliary or cam shaft 4 44 of the mountingapparatus. The advance and retractive movement of the subslide 26 andassociated wirefeeding jaws 17, 18 occurs in timed relation to the dwellof each mount-carrying head 3 at the work station at which the filamentmounting apparatus is located, and it is controlled by independentoperating means disposed within the base 25 of the mounting apparatusand actuated from the main driving means or shaft (not shown) of themount making machine in a manner corresponding to that of the othermount making mechanisms (also not shown) at the other work stationsabout the turret 2, as disclosed in the aforesaid Illingworth patent. Inthe present instance, the main driving means of the mount making machinerotates a main shaft 45, journalled within the base 25, at a constantrotational speed. The main shaft 45 in turn drives the auxiliary or camshaft 44 through a train of intermeshed gears 46, 47 and 48 mounted,respectively, on the main shaft 45, a stub shaft 49 journalled in thebase 25, and the auxiliary or cam shaft 44.

During the last portion of the advance movement of the wire feeding jaws17, 18, they engage the front end face 50 of the spring-loaded filamentwire guide 28 and then push the latter back along the unreeled length oflila-ment wire 7 passing through the wire-receiving opening of the guideso as to uncover or expose the free end of the unreeled filament wire 7'which .at this time is recessed backwardly from the front end face 50 ofthe guide. The exposed free end of the unreeled filament wire 7l isthereby positioned between the separated wire feeding jaws 17, 18 so asto be gripped thereby upon subsequent closure of the jaws. The guide 28is supported in a slide block 51 in a position with its wire-receivingaperture centrally aligned with the opening between the separated wirefeeding jaws 17, 18. The slide block 51 is horizontally slidable, in adirection radially of the turret 2, within a closely fitting slot orslide ways 52 in the arm 19 of the carriage 22, and it is provided witha horizontally extending guide pin 53 which projects from the front andrear edges of the guide block into corresponding openings 54, 55 in thearm 19 to thereby confine the sliding movement of the guide block to ahorizontal direction and prevent the guide block from dropping out ofthe slot 52. The filament wire guide 28 and its associated support block51 are pushed back by the advancing wire feeding jaws 17, 18 -againstthe pressure of a coil spring 56 mounted on the guide pin 53 andcompressed between the rear edge of the support block 51 and the rearend wall of the slot 52 in the arm 19.

During the backward displacement of the guide 28 by the advancing jaws17, 18, the filament wire 7' within the guide is prevented from beingmoved back along with the guide by a friction brake comprising a pair ofopposed friction blocks 57, 58 (Fig. 4) between which the filament wire7' passes as it is withdrawn from the supply spool 16. The frictionblocks 57, 58, one of which (i. e. block 58) is spring pressed towardthe other block 57 by a compression coil spring 59, are mounted in adepending arm portion 60 on the support arm 19. The operation of thefriction brake blocks 57, 58 to hold the filament wire 7 againstbackward movement is assisted by the frictional engagement of a leafspring 61 with the top side or edge of the supply spool 16. The leafspring 61, which is fastened to the top surface of the arm 19, alsoserves to prevent overrunning of the spool 16 during the pulling of thewire therefrom by the jaws 17, 18, and to maintain the supply speed 16in place on the arm 19 by holding the pivot studs 20 of the supply spooldown at the bottom of the -stud-receiving slots in the arm 19.

Near the end of the advance movement of the interlocked subslide 26 andmain slide 27 the locking pin 33 carried by the main slide 27 sdisengaged from the pinreceiving aperture 34 in the subslide 26, therebyfreeing the subslide for a slight additional amount of advance movementrelative to the main slide 27 sufficient to cause the inclined camsurfaces 29, 30 on the wire feeding jaws 17, 18 to engage the camportions 31, 32 of the main slide 27 so as t-o contract the jaws 17, 18to their closed position to thereby grip the free end of the filamentwire 7 positioned between the said jaws. The lifting of the locking pin33 to disengage it from within the aperture 34 in the subslide 26 iseffected by the engagement of the upright arm 62 of a bell crank lever63, pivoted at 64 on the main slide 27, with a stop pin or screw 65 onthe carriage 22, thereby causing the lever 63 to pivot and swing itshorizontal arm 66 upwardly into engagement with the head 67 of thelocking pin 33 so as to lift the latter out of the pin-receivingaperture 34. As soon as the locking pin 33 is lifted clear of theaperture 34 by the lever 63, the main slide 27 is then locked againstfurther advance movement and the subslide 26 advanced a slightadditional amount relative to the locked main slide, to effect theclosing of the jaws 17 and 18, by the force of a pair of coil springs68, 69 compressed between shoulders 70 and 71 on the main and subslides27 and 26. During this slight additional advance movement of thesubslide 26, the main slide 27 is locked against further advancemovement by the locking of the lever 63 against additional pivotalmovement by the stop pin 65, such locking action resulting from thebinding of the locking pin 33 in the yoked end 72 of the lever arm 66.To permit the additional advance movement of the subslide 26 relative tothe main slide 27 by the force of the springs 68, 69, sufficientclearance or lost motion is provided in the pivotal connection betweenthe operating lever 37 and the roller 38 on the subslide. Thus, as shownin Fig. 5, the narrow upper end or slot portion 73 of theroller-receiving recess 74 in the face of the upper head end 75 of the'operating lever 37, within which slot portion 73 the roller 38 islocated at this time, is made suiciently wide to allow the roller 38 andthe associated subslide 26 to be `advanced the necessary distancebyvspririgs-68', 69 to effect the closure of the wire feeding jaws 17,18.

Immediately following the completion of the advance movement of thewire-feeding jaws 17, 18 to their fully advanced position (Fig. toeffect the closure thereof and the gripping thereby of the free end ofthe filament wire 7 passing through the guide 28, the jaws 17, 18 arereturned to their retracted position as shown in Fig. 6, through theoperation of the operating lever 37 acting on the subslide 26, towithdraw a length of filament wire 7 from the supply spool 16 for theformation thereof into a filament 7 to be mounted on the lamp mount 1.During this return movement of the subslide 26 and associated jaws 17,18, the coil springs 68, 69 maintain the subslide and main slide 27 inthe same relative position to each other as they have when the subslide26 is in its fully advanced position, thereby maintaining thewirefeeding jaws 17, 18 in their closed wire-gripping position. In theirretracted position as shown in Fig. 6, the wirefeedng jaws 17, 18 arelocated some distance to the outward sideof the mount-engaging jawplates of the mount-carrying heads 3. Simultaneously with the return ofthe wire-feeding jaws 17, 18 to their fully retracted position, the wireguiding die or guide 28 is returned, by the action of the coil-spring56, to its normal advanced position as shown in Fig. 6, as determined bythe engagement of the guide-carrying support block 51 with the front endof the slot 52 in the support arm 19. In the said fully advancedposition of the wire guide 28, its front face 50 is positioned in avertical plane located a slight distance (of the order of a fewthousandths of an inch) inwardly of the turret 2 relative to theposition occupied by the upper or filament-connecting end of theinwardmost leading-in wire 9 of the mount 1 when positioned at thefilament mounting station, in order to thereby clear the said upper endof such leading-in wire 9 when the guide 28 is subsequently in itslowered filamentmounting position and then raised (at the conclusion ofthe filament mounting operation) from its lowered filament-mountingposition (Fig. 8) to its upper or filament wire feeding position (Fig.5).

Following the withdrawal of the filament wire 7 from the supply spool 16by the retraction of the wire-feeding jaws 17, 18, the portion of thefilament wire 7 between the jaws 17, 18 and the wire guide 28 is thenformed or bent to an inverted V or hairpin shape and located in propermounting position relative to the position to be occupied by theleading-in wires 8, 9 of the lamp mount 1 (upon subsequent index to themounting station) so as t to extend over or bridge the coiled filament 4previously mounted `on the leading-in wire 5, 6 of the lamp mount. Thefilament wire forming and positioning operations are both performed by adownward movement in unison of the wire-holding elements of theapparatus (i. e., the wire-holding jaws 17, 18 and the guide 28 andspool 16) which act to carry and bend the filament wire 7 down over astationary forming member or pin 76 extending from a support arin 77mounted on a stationary part of the machine. The downward movement inunison of the jaws 17, 18 and the wire guide 28 and the spool 16 isproduced by a downward sliding movement of the entire carriage 22 in itsguide bracket 24. The lowering of the carriage 22 is effected by a boxcam 78 mounted on the auxiliary cani shaft 44 and having a cam groovewithin which rides a roller 79 mounted on the lower end of the carriagesupport slide 23. The stationary forming pin 76 extends tangentially ofthe path of movement of the mount 1 in the head 3, and it is disposedthe proper height above the head 3 and intersects the vertical centerline of the mount 1 at the filament mounting station so as to be at theexact location of the peak of the inverted V filament 7 when positionedfor mounting on the leading-in wires 8, 9 of the lamp mount 1 at thefilament mounting station. The forming pin 76 is supported at one endonlyon the support bracket 77 and it projects approximatelyhorizontally4therefrom in the direction of advance movement of the lamp mount 1 bythe mountcarrying head 3 so as to permit unhindered removal or movementof the mounted filament 7 off the forming pin during the ensuing indexmovement of the mount 1 away from the filament mounting station. Toassure the free movement of the filament 7 off the forming pin 76 so asto prevent distortion of the filament, the forming pin is declined ortilted downwardly at a slight angle, for example a degree or two, in thedirection of advance movement of the head 3. As shown in Fig. 8, thedownward movement in unison of the wire-feeding jaws 17, 18 and the wireguide 28 carries them to positions below that of the upper ends of theleading-in wires 8, 9 of the mount 1 in the head 3 such as to locate theimmediately adjacent portions of that part of the filament wire 7'extending between the jaws 17, 18 and guide 28, across and in propermounting relation to the outwardly fiaring or angled upper ends of theleading-in wires 8, 9 of the mount 1 when the latter is subsequentlyindexed to the filament mounting station.

At the `outset of the downward movement of the carriage 22 to bend thestraight filament wire 7 down over the forming pin 76, the wire-feedingjaws 17, 18 are in their retracted position as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.In such retracted position of the wire-feeding jaws 17, 18, the portionof the n`lament wire 7 extending from the jaws 17, 18 to a pointdirectly over the forming pin 76 is of a length sufficient to form oneof the legs of the final formed V filament 7. Accordingly, to preventany appreciable movement or wiping of the filament wire 7' across theforming pin 76 after the initial engagement of the wire 7 with theforming pin and during the ensuing bending of the wire therearound, thewire-feeding jaws 17, 18 and associated subslide 26 are advanced towardthe wire guide 28, following the initial engagement of the filament wire7' with and during its bending around the forming pin 76, through therequired distance and at the necessary rate to maintain the mouthopening of the closed jaws 17, 18 at a fixed distance from the nearestwire-engaging surface of the forming pin 76. This advance movement ofthe feed jaws 17, 18 during the filament wire bending operation iseffected by the engagement of a roller 80 on the rear end of the mainslide 27 with an inclined cam track or groove 81 into which the roller80 is carried during the downward movement of the carriage 22. Theinclined cam groove 81 is formed in a stationary plate cam 82 mounted onand upstanding from the base 25 of the filament mounting apparatus.During the downward movement of the carriage 22 to bend the filamentwire 7 around the forming pin 76, the roller 38 on the subslide 26 iscarried down into the widened lower part 83 ofthe roller-receivingrecess 74 in the head portion 75 of the operating lever 37, therebyallowing the roller 38 and associated subslide 26 to be advanced alongwith the main slide 27 toward the guide 28 during the bending of thefilament wire around the forming pin.

Due to the force of the spring 56, the wire-feeding guide 28remains inits fully advanced position, as shown in Figs. 6-8, during the fullextent of downward movement of the carriage 22 to bend the filament wire7' over the forming pin 76. Since, as mentioned previously, tlie frontface of the guide 28, when in the said fully advanced position, isdisposed in a vertical plane located only a slight distance (i. e., afew thousandths of an inch) inwardly of the turret from the upper end ofthe leading-in wire 9 of the lamp mount 1 when positioned at thefilament mounting station, the length therefore of that portion of thestraight filament wire 7' extending from the guide 28 to a pointdirectly above the forming pin '76 is considerably shorter than thelength of filament wire required to form the .corresponding leg of thefinal formed inverted V yfilament 7. Accordingly, an Aadditional amountof filament wire 7 is required to for-m the leg of the V filamentbetween the forming pin 76 and the guide 28. This additional amount ofwire 7 is supplied by the withdrawal of additional filament wire fromthe supply spool 16, the tension in the portion of the filament wire 7being bent over the forming pin 76 serving to automatically pull thenecessary additional amount of filament wire off the supply spool 16 andthrough the guide 28 during the bending operation.

Concurrently with the downward movement of the carriage 22 to form theinverted V-shaped filament 7 and locate it in position for mounting onthe leading-in wires 8, 9 of the lamp mount 1, the turret 2 is indexedto carry the said lamp mount 1 to the filament mounting station. Theindex of the turret 2 is so timed, however, relative to the operationsof the filament forming apparatus as to advance the previously formedlamp mount away from the filament mounting station before the filamentwire 7 engages the forming pin 76, thereby preventing interference withthe movement of the previously mounted filament 7 off the forming pin76, and in addition assure the arrival of the succeeding lamp mount 1 atthe filament mounting station only after the inverted V-shaped filament7 has been formed and is already in mounting position at the filamentmounting station.l As a result, the leading-in wires 8, 9 of thesucceeding lamp mount 1 are brought up against the ends of the invertedV-shaped filament 7 held in the jaws 17, 18 and guide 28 in position forclamping to the said leading-in wires. Such a manner of operationassures against the possibility, such as might occur if the filament 7were formed and located in mounting position after the index of themount 1 to the filament mounting station, of the filament wire-feedingjaws 17, 18 or the guide 28 striking against the ends of and distortingthe leading-in wires 8, 9 of the mount should they initially be slightlyout of alignment or position.

As soon as the lamp mount 1 arrives at the filament mounting station,the ends of the inverted V-shaped portion of the filament wire 7 arefastened or clamped to the upper ends of the leading-in wires 8, 9 ofthe mount, after which the filament wire is then severed at a pointbetween the guide 28 and the adjacent connection of the filament wire tothe leading-in wire 9 of the mount. The fastening or clamping of thefilament wire 7', to the leading-in wires 8, 9 and the severing of thefilament wire are performed by clamping and severing means C locatedabove the filament wire forming and positioning means F and verticallyreciprocable between a raised inoperative position and a loweredclamping and severing position. The clamping and severing means C ismounted on a bracket 85 upstanding from the base 25 of the filamentmounting apparatus and straddling the filament wire forming andpositioning means F. The clamping means fastens the filament wire 7' tothe leading in wires 8, 9 by embedding the filament wire into the softercopper-coated iron (Dumet) wire of which the leading-in wires 8, 9 arecomposed. The clamping of the filament wire 7 to the leading-in wires 8,9 is effected by a pair of normally separated U-shaped clamping jaws 86which are closed against opposite sides of the upper ends of the twoleading-in wires 8, 9 and the adjacent ends of the V-shaped filamentwire portion 7' lying thereacross. The clamping jaws 86 are U-shaped(Fig. 4) so as to straddle the other pair of leading-in wires 5, 6 ofthe mount without touching or distorting them when the said jaws are intheir closed wire-clamping position. In addition, the clamping jaws 86are of a size small enough to pass freely between the wire-feeding jaws17, 18 and the guide 28 (Fig. 8), when the jaws 86 are in their closedwire-clamping position, in order to thereby assure the positive clampingengagement thereof with, and thus the clamping of the upper ends of theleading-in wires 8, 9 to the portions of the filament wire 7 lyingthereacross.

The clamping jaws 86 are mounted on the lower ends CFI of a pair ofvertically arranged jaw arms or levers 87, 88 which are pivotallymounted on pivot pins 89, extending from the front face of a verticallyreciprocable main slide 90, so as to pivot in a vertical plane. The mainslide 90 is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement in a verticalguideway 91 on the support bracket 85, and it is continuously urgeddownwardly by the tension or contraction force of a pair of tension coilsprings 92, 92 fastened at their opposite ends to and tensioned betweenspring posts 93, 94 mounted, respectively, on the main slide 90 and onthe guideway portion 91 of the bracket 85. The main slide 90 is providedwith a vertical guideway 95 in its front face within which a subslide 96is vertically reciprocable and held by a cover plate 9'7 fastened to themain slide. The subslide 96 is provided with. a vertically elongatedisland or stop-lug 98 on its front face which extends into and isvertically movable within a vertically elongated slot 99 formed in thecover plate 97. The clamping jaws 86 and associated jaw arms 87 and 88are normally maintained in a raised inoperative position entirely abovethe filament wire forming and positioning means F, so as to be clear ofthe lamp mount 1 in the heads 3 during the index movement thereof, bythe upward pull on the subslide 96 of the piston rod 100 of a two-wayacting air cylinder 101, which upward pull is transmitted to the mainslide 90 through the engagement of the island projection 98 with theupper end 102 of the slot 99. The air cylinder 101 is mounted on theupper end of the support bracket 85, and the piston rod 100 is connectedto the upper end of the subslide 96. The upward pulling force of thepiston rod 100 on the subslide 96 holds the said subslide and the mainslide 90 in their upper limiting position against the downward pull ofthe tension coil springs 92 on the main slide.

The jaw arms 87, 88 are provided at their upper ends with cam followerrollers 103 which are adapted to engage and ride on a wedge cam 104fastened to the island projection 98 on the subslide 96. The camfollower rollers 103 are held in engagement with the wedge cam 104 atall times by the contractive force of a. coil spring 105 vconnected andtensioned between spring posts 106 on the upper portions of the jaw arms87, 88. In the upper or inoperative position of the clamping andsevering means C, as well as during the lowering thereof to itsoperative clamping position, the clamping jaws 86 are held in an openinoperative position by the spring 105, with the cam follower rollers103 in engagement with the narrow lower end or low portion 107 of thewedge cam 104.

The operation of the filament wire clamping and severing means C iseffected by the downward stroke of the piston rod 100 of the aircylinder 101 which acts to lower the clamping and severing means C fromits raised inoperative position (Figs. l and 2) to its lowered operativeposition wherein the filament clamping jaws 86 are disposed in theproper elevational position for engaging and clamping together the upperends of the lead-in wires 8, 9 and the ends of the filament wire 7 lyingthereacross, when the jaw arms 87, 88 are subsequently pivoted so as toclose the jaws 86. The operation of the air cylinder 101 is controlledby a valve 108 (Fig. 1) mounted on the hase 25 of the filament mountingapparatus and operated by a cam 189 which is mounted on the main driveshaft 4S and engages the reciprocable operating member 110 of the valve108. During the downward stroke of the piston rod 100 and the associatedsubslide 96, the main slide 90 is moved down in unison with the subslidethrough the combined action of the tension coil springs 92 and ayieldable interlock which is provided between the two slides and whichconsists of a spring-loaded locking pin 111 reciprocable within the mainslide 90 and having a rounded end fitting into a conically shapedpinreceiving recess or notch 112 in the subslide 96. A compression coilspring 113 located behind the locking pin 111 holds the pin within therecess 112 so as to lock the two slides 90 and 96 together againstvertical displacement relative to one another except when excessiveforce is applied to the two slides tending to displace them vertically.Under such excessive force conditions, the locking pin 111 will bepushed back out of the recess 112 by virtue of the rounded end of thepin and the conical shape of the recess, thereby allowing the two slides90 and 96 to be displaced vertically relative to one another.

The downward movement of the main slide 90 along with the subslide 96,on the downward stroke of the piston rod 100, continues until a stopshoulder or ear 114 on the main slide 90 strikes against the end of astop screw 115 mounted on a block 116 on the front face of the guidewayportion 91 of the support bracket 85. The engagement of the stopshoulder 114 with the stop screw 115 thus locates the main slide 90 andthe associated clamping jaws 86 in their lowered or operative clampingposition. The continued downward movement of the piston rod 100 andassociated subslide 96, after the stoppage of the main slide 90 in itslowermost position by the interengaged stops 114, 115, then forces thelocking pin 111 out of the recess 112 and effects a further independentdownward movement or displacement of the subslide 96 relative to themain slide 90. During this independent downward movement of the subslide96 relative to the main slide 90, the cam-engaging rollers 103 on thejaw arms S7, 88 ride up the inclined rise or wedge portions 17 of thecam 104 and onto the wide upper end or high portion 118 thereof, therebypivoting the jaw arms S7, 88 and the clamping jaws S6 to their closedposition against the upperv ends of the leading-in wires S, 9 and thefilament wire 7 lying thereacross and effecting the clamping together ofthe leading-in wires and the filament wire.

The very last portion of the downward movement or overtravel of thesubslide 96 relative to the main slide 90 following the closure of theclamping jaws 86 by the riding of the cam-engaging rollers 103 onto thewidened upper end or high portion 118 of the cam 104, operates toactaute the severing means of the apparatus so as to sever the invertedV-shaped portion of the filament wire 7' (which is now clamped to theleading-in wires 8, 9 of the mount) from the remainder of the supply offilament wire 7 extending from the supply spool 16 thereof. The severingof the filament wire 7 is performed by a sharp edged knife 120 carriedby the lower end of the lever 121 which is pivotally mounted on a pivotpin 122 on the front face of the jaw arm 87, for independent pivotalmovement relative thereto in a vertical plane. As shown in Fig. 2, thelever 121 and the associated cutting knife 120 are normally held in aretracted pivotal position on the jaw arm 87, with the cutting edge 123of the knife located a short distance back from the clamping faces ofthe clamping jaws 86, by the force of a torsion spring 124 mounted on apin 12S on the jaw arm 87 and bearing at one end against the upper endof the lever 121 and at its other end against the spring post 106 on thejaw arm S7. The retracted pivotal position of the cutting knife 120 andthe lever 121 on which it is mounted is determined by the engagement ofthe lever with a stop screw 126 mounted on the jaw arm 87 at the lowerend thereof. The lever 121 is pivoted to carry the cutting knife 120thereon against and through the filament wire 7 so as to sever it, bythe engagement of the end of a screw 127 on the upper end of the lever121 which the inclined cam surface 128 of a cam 129 mounted on the frontface of the wedge cam 104, which engagement occurs during the very lastportion of the overtravel of the subslide 96 and associated wedge cam104 relative to the main slide 90 during the downward stroke of thepiston rod 100. The cutting edge 123 of the cutting knife 120 isarranged to enter between the front face S of the wire guide andtheleading-in wire 9 just below the upper end thereof, and as close aspossible to the clamping jaws 86, when the lever 121 is pivoted to carrythe cutting knife 120 against and through the filament wire 7', in

order to thereby assure the severing of the filament wire 'l' as closeas practicable to the leading-in wire 9. To enable the cutting edge 123of the knife 120 to thus enter between the leading-in wire 9 and thefront face 50 of the guide 28, and in view of the very minute clearancespace therebetween, the cutting knife is arranged to engage the frontend face 50 of the guide 28 and push the latter back a slight distanceaway from the lamp mount 1. To this end, the front side of the cuttingknife 120, extending back from the cutting edge 123 thereof, is beveledas indicated at 130 in Fig. 2, and the front end face 50 of the wireguide 28 is correspondingly beveled as indicated at 131 in Fig. 4.During the wirescvering swing movement of the cutting knife 120, thebeveled surface 130 thereof strikes against the beveled front surface131 of the gui-de 28 and, because of the angularity of these beveledsurfaces to the plane of swing movement of the cutting knife, acts topush the wire guide 23 back the required distance to allow the cuttingknife to pass between the leading-in wire 9 of the mount and the frontend face 50 of the wire guide 28.

Following the completion of the filament wire mounting and severingoperation, but while the clamping jaws 86 are still closed against theupper ends of the leadingin wires 8, 9 and the ends of the filament 7,the subslide 26 carrying the wire feeding jaws 17, 1S is retracted toopen the jaws 17, 18 so as to release the grip thereof on the end of thefilament 7 connected to the leading-in wire 8 of the lamp mount 1. Theretractivc movement of the subslide 26 and the jaws 17, 18 to effeet theopening of the latter is performed while the clamping jaws E6 are stillclosed against the leadingin wires 8, 9, and the ends of the filament 7,in order to thereby prevent breakage of the filament wire, at theconnection thereof to the leading-in wire 3, by the retractive movementof the jaws 17, 18. The retraction of the subslide 26 to open thewire-feeding jaws 17, 18 is effected through the actuation of theoperating level' 37 by the earn 43 and through the engagement of thefront wall of the widened recess 33 in the head 75 of the operatinglever with the roller 33 on the subslide 25. inasmuch as the main slide27 is locked against refractive movement at this time by the engagementof the roller 30 thereon within the inclined cam slot 81 of thestationary cam 32, the retraction of the subslide 26 by the operatinglever 37 therefore serves to pull the inclined cam surfaces 29, 30 ofthe wire-feeding jaws 17, 1S back away from the inclined cam portions31, 32 of the main slide 27, thereby allowing the Wire-feeding jaws 17,18 to spring outward to their open position. In addition to effectingthe opening of the wire-feeding jaws 17, 18 to release their grip on theend of the filament wire 7, the retraction of the subslide 26 pulls thewire-feeding jaws 17, 18 back. away from the end of the filament lconnected to the leading-in wire 8 so as to be clear of the saidfilament end and also displaces the subslide 26 backwardly relative tothe main slide 27 a sufficient distance to allow the locking pin 33 todrop down into the pocket 34 in the subslide, thereby locking thesubslide 26 and main slide 27 in their original position relative ltoea-ch other with the wire-feeding jaws 17 18 in their open position.

As soon as the Wire-feeding jaws 17, 18 have thus been opened to releasethe end of the filament 7 and retracted so as to clear the said filamentend. thc clamping and severing means C is then returned to its raisedinoperative position to carry it clear of the lamp mount 1 and thefilament forming mechanism F by the upward stroke of the piston rod 100which is brought about by the actuation of the control valve 108 by cam109 to supply compressed air to the lower end of the air cylinder while`venting the upper end thereof. Because of the downward pull of thesprings 92 on the main slide 90 of the clamping and severing means C therst por- 13 tion of' the upward movement of the piston rod 100corresponding to the overtravel of the subslide 96 relative to the mainslide 90 0n the immediately previous downstroke of the piston rod, iseffective to raise the subslide 96 alone relative to the main slide '90,the latter meanwhile being held in its lowered position by the springs92. This upward movement of the subslide 96 relative to the main slide90 then operates to first withdraw the cam 129 from engagement with thestop screw 127 on the knife-carrying lever 121, thereby allowing thetorsion spring 124 to swing the lever 121 and its associated cutterknife 120 back to their inoperative position as determined by theengagement of the lever 121 with the stop 126, and then to withdraw thewidened or Wedge portion 117 of the cam 104 from engagement with therollers 103 on the jaw arms 87, 88 so as to allow the spring 105 toswing the jaw arms 87, 88 and associated clamping jaws 86 to their openposition. The continued upward movement of the subslide 96 by the pistonrod litt), following the return of the cutting knife 120` and theclamping jaws 86 to their retracted o-r open position, causes thecamsupporting island projection 98`on the subslide '96 to engage theupper end 102 of the slot 99 in the cover plate 97 of the main slide 90and thus raise the main slide 90 along with the subslide until theyreach their upper inoperative position as determined by the upwardlimiting position of the piston rod 106. At the time the projection- 98on the subslide 96 reengages the end 102 of the slot 99 in the mainslide 96, during the upward movement of the subslide 96 by the pistonrod 100, the spring-loaded locking pin 111 is forced by the spring 113back into the recess 112 in the subslide, thereby locking the subslideand the main slide against relative vertical displacement.

As soon as the clamping and severing means C has been thus raised to itsupper inoperative position so as to be clear of the filament wirefeeding and positioning mechanism F, comprising the wire feeding jaws17, 18, the wire guide 28 and the supply spool 16 which are all mountedon the carriage 22, the latter is raised to its upper or wire-feedingposition by the action of the cam 73 on the roller 79 carried by thecarriage support slide 23. During the upward movement of the carriage22, the interlocked slides 26, 27 are moved backwardly to their originalretracted position by `virtue of the backward inclination of the Camslot 81 of cam 82 which causes the roller 80 riding therein to be movedbackwardly when the carriage 22 is raised. Since the subslide 26 andmain slide 27 move back in unison during the upward return movement ofthe carriage 22 by reason of the said slides being interlocked at suchtime by the locking pin 33, the roller 38 on the subslide 26 istherefore also carried backwardly so as to reenter and be positionedwithin the narrow upper end or slot portion 73 of the recess 74 in thehead portion 75 of the operating lever 37. The return of the carriage 22to its upper position completes the full cycle of operation of thefilament mounting apparatus of the invention and thus places the partsthereof in position for the start of the next cycle of operation.

Although a preferred embodiment of our invention has been disclosed, itwill be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thespecific construction and arrangement of parts shown, but that they maybe widely modified wtihin the spirit and scope of our invention asdefined by the appended claims.

What we claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. Apparatus for mounting a filament upon a pair of leading-in wires ofa lamp mount, comprising a head for supporting the mount at a filamentmounting station, filament forming mechanism at said station comprisingfilament wire supply means located to one side of said head andincluding wire-guiding means having a wire-receiving opening throughwhich the filament wire extends from the.

said supply thereof, a pair of feed jaws located at the otherside ofsaid head, means mounting said feed jaws for movement toward and awayfrom said wire-guiding means to grip the end of the filament wirepassing through said guiding means and withdraw a length of said wirefrom said supply means and dispose it across the head, a stationaryforming pin at said station extending across said head in a directionnormal to the path of movement of said feed jaw-s and located betweenthe said path and said head, means mounting jaws and wire supply meansfor movement in unison toward said head to bend the Withdrawn filamentwire around said forming pin into hairpin shape and arrange it inmounting position at said station relative to a mount when properlysupported in a head at -said station, clamping and severing meanslocated at said station and comprising clamping jaws, jaw-closing meanscoacting with said clamping jaws to close them so as to clamp the endsof the hairpin shaped portion of the filament wire to the ends of theleading-in wires of the mount at said station, a movable cutter knife,knife-actuating means coacting with said cutter-knife to actuate it soas to thereafter sever the portion of the lament wire connected to theleading-in wires from the remainder of the said supply thereof,operating means coacting with said feed jaws to open and retract them soas to release and clear the end of `the filament wire while the saidclamping jaws are still closed against the ends of the leading-in wiresand the ends of the filament wire portion connected thereto, andactuating means operatively connected with said filament formingmechanism, said operating means and with said ja -closing andknife-actuating means for actuating them in proper time relation.

2. Apparatus for mounting a filament upon a pair of leading-in wires ofa lamp mount, comprising a carrier having a plurality of heads eacharranged to support and advance a mount along a path of travel to a workstation, filament forming and positioning mechanism at said stationcomprising a wire guiding die mounted on one side of said path of traveland having an opening for receiving the free end of a continuous supplyof filament wire, feed jaws located on the other side of said path oftravel opposite said die, means mounting said feed jaws forreciprocating movement toward and away from said die to grip the freeend of the filament wire therein and pull a length thereof through saiddie and position said wire length across said path of travel, operatingmeans coacting with said feed jaws to open and close them, a formingmember located at said station in a position between a head at saidstation and the said die and feed jaws when in their initialwire-feeding position, means mounting said feed jaws and die for bodilymovement toward the head to bend the said wire length around the saidforming member into the final shape of the filament and to dispose theshaped wire length in position for mounting on a lamp mount whenproperly supported in a head at said station, fastening means at saidstation for attaching the ends of the said positioned wire length to theends of the leading-in wires of a lamp mount at said station, cuttingmeans located at said station for severing the said attached wire lengthfrom the remainder of the supply of filament wire at a point between thesaid guide and the adjacent leading-in wire of the mount, and actuatingmeans connected with said filament forming and positioning means, saidoperating means and with said fastening and cutter means for actuatingthem in proper time relation.

3. Apparatus as specified in claim 2 and comprising, in addition, meansfor indexing said carrier -in proper time relation to the actuation ofthe said filament forming and positioning mechanism and the saidfastening and cutter means by said actuating means so as to index a headat said work station away therefrom before the engagement of the saidwire length with said vforming member and to carry the next succeedinghead into position at said work station after the said wire length hasbeen formed to its final filament shape and located in mounting positionat said station by Mthe said filament forming and positioning mechanism.

4. Apparatus as specified in claim 2 and comprising, in addition, meansfor moving said feed jaws toward said die, during 'the said bodilymovement of said filament forming and positioning mechanism toward saidhead, to maintain the wire-receiving mouth opening of said feed jaws ata uniform distance from the nearest wire-engaging surface of saidforming member during the bending of the said wire length therearound.

5. Apparatus for mounting a filament upon a pair of leading-in wires ofa lamp mount comprising a carrier having a plurality of heads eacharranged to support and advance a mount along a path of travel to a workstation, filament forming and positioning mechanism at said stationcomprising a wire-guiding die mounted on one side of said path of travelVfor movement transversely thereof and away from a forward limitingposition and having an opening for receiving the free end of acontinuous supply of filament wire, slide 4means mounted on the otherside of said path of travel and provided with normally open feed jawsdisposed in opposed relation to said die, means mounting said slidemeans for reciprocating movement toward and away from said die,operating means coacting with said slide means and feed jaws to firstadvance said slide means toward said die to engage and displace it aslight distance backwardly from its said forward limiting position so asto expose the free end of the filament wire therein and position itbetween the open feed jaws on said slide means andthen close the saidfeed jaws so as to grip the free end of the filament wire locatedtherebetween, and to then move said slide means back away from said dieto draw a length'of filao ment wire therethrough and position it acrosssaid path of travel, means coacting with said die for returning it toits said forward limiting position, carriage means mounting saidfilament forming and positioning mechanism for bodily movement towardthe head to dispose the said wire length in position for mounting on alamp mount when properly supported in a head at said station, fasteningmeans located at said station for attaching the ends of the saidpositioned wire length to the ends of the leading-in wires of the lampmount, cutting means located at said station for severing the saidattached wire length from the remainder of the supply of filament wireat a point between the said die and the adjacent leadingin wire of themount, a movable member mounting said fastening and cutting means forreciprocating movement toward and away from an advanced operativeposition relative to said filament forming and positioning mechanism inwhich they are located in operative fastening and severing relation tothe said positioned wire length, and actuating means operativelyconnected with said operating means and with said filament forming andpositioning means, said slide means and movable member, and saidfastening and cutting means for actuating them in proper time relation.

6. Apparatus for mounting a filament upon a pair of leading-in wires ofa lamp mount, comprising a carrier having a plurality of heads eacharranged to support and advance a mount along a path of travel to a workstation, filament forming and positioning mechanism at said stationcomprising a wire-guiding die mounted on one side of said path of travelfor movement transversely thereof and away from a forward limitingposition thcreadjacent7 said die having an opening for receiving thefree end of a continuous supply of filament wire, spring meansyieldingly holding said die against backward displacement from its saidforward limiting position, slide means mounted on the other side of saidpath of travel and provided with normally open feed jaws disposed inopposed relation to said die, means mounting said slide means forreciprocating movement toward and away from said die, operating meanscoacting with said slide means to first advance the said slide meanstoward said die to cause the feed jaws thereof to engage and displacethe die a slight distance backwardly from its said forward limitingposition so as to expose the free end of the filament wire therein andposition it between the open feed jaws and then close the said feed jawsso as to grip the free end of the filament wire located therebetween,and to then move said slide means back away from said die to draw alength of filament wire therethrough and position it across the saidpath of travel at the said work station, carriage means mounting saidfilament forming and positioning mechanism for bodily movement towardthe head to dispose the said wire length in position for mounting on alamp mount when properly supported in a head at said station, fasteningmeans located at said station for attaching the ends of the saidpositioned wire length to the ends of the leading-in wires of the lampmount, cutting means comprising a knife movable transversely of the saidlength of filament wire and engageable with the front end of said die todisplace the latter a slight distance backwardly so as to permit passageof the knife between the front end of said die and the adjacentleading-in wire of the mount to sever the said wire length from theremainder of the supply of filament wire, a movable member mounting saidfastening and cutting means for movement toward and away from anadvanced operative position relative to said filament forming andpositioning mechanism in which they are located in operative fasteningand severing relation to the said positioned wire length, and actuatingmeans operatively connected with the said operating means, the saidfilament forming and positioning means, and with said slide means andmovable member and with said fastening and cutter means for actuatingthem in proper time relation.

7. Apparatus as specified in claim 5 and comprising, in addition, afriction brake engaging the filament wire at a point between the saidsupply thereof and the said die to prevent backward movement of thefilament wire in the die during the backward -displacement -of the dieby said slide means.

8. Apparatus for mounting a filament upon a pair of leading-in wires ofa lamp mount, comprising a carrier having a plurality of heads eacharranged to support a mount with its leading-in wires upstanding and toadvance the mount along a path of travel to a work station, filamentforming and positioning mechanism at said station comprising avertically movable carriage located on one side of said path of traveland having an arm extending over the said path of travel, filament wiresupply means mounted on said arm at the other side of said path oftravel, a wire-guiding die mounted on said arm at the said other side ofthe path of travel for horizontal reciprocating movement transverselythereof, said die having a wire-receiving opening through which thefilament wire extends from the saidr supply thereof, resilient meansyieldingly holding said die against backward ydisplacement away from thesaid path of travel, feed jaws slidably mounted on said carriage inopposed relation to said die for horizontal reciprocating movementtransversely of said path of travel and towards and away from said die,jaw operating means coacting with said feed jaws to first advance themtoward said die to cause the feed jaws to engage and displace the die aslight distance backwardly so as to expose the free end of the filamentwire therein and position it between the open feed jaws and then close'vthe said'feed jaws so as ,to grip the free end of the filament wirelocated therebetween, and to then retract said feed jaws away from saiddie to draw a length of filament wire therethrough and position itacross the said path of travel and above a head when properly positionedat the said work station,'a stationary forming pin located at saidstation and provided with support means at one end only and extendingtherefrom approximately horizontally and across and directly above ahead at said station in the direction of advance movement of the headsto and from said station, carriage operating means coacting with thesaid carriage to move it downwardly to bend the said wire length overthe said forming pin and into inverted V shape and to dispose the shapedwire length in position for mounting on a lamp mount when properlysupported in a head at said station, fastening means located at saidstation and operable to attach the ends of said positioned wire lengthto the ends of the leading-in wires of the lamp mount, cutting meanslocated at said station and operable to then sever the said attachedwire length from the remainderof the supply of filament wire at a pointbetween the said die and the adjacent leadingin wire of the mount, andactuating means operatively connected with said filament forming andpositioning mechanism, said jaw operating means and with said carriageoperating means and said fastening and cutter means for actuating themin proper time relation.

9. Apparatus as specied in claim 8 and comprising, in addition, meansfor indexing said carrier in proper time relation to the actuation ofthe said filament forming and positioning mechanism and the saidfastening and cutter means by `said actuating means so as to index ahead at said work station away therefrom before the engagement of thesaid wire length with said forming pin and to carry the next succeedinghead into position at said work station after the said wire length hasbeen formed to its nal filament shape and located in mounting positionat said station by the said filament forming and positioning mechanism.

10. Apparatus as speciiied in claim 8 wherein the said cutting meanscomprises a knife movable transversely of the said length of filamentwire and engageable with the front end of said die to displace thelatter aslight distance backwardly so as to permit passage of the knifebetween the front end of said die and the adjacent leading-in wire ofthe mount to sever said wire.

l1. In combination, filament wire feeding mechanism includingwire-feeding jaws and a wire-guiding die for supporting and locating aportion of the length of a supply of iilament wire extending throughsaid die in position for mounting on the upper ends of the leading-inwires of a lamp mount supported in a head at a work station, andapparatus for clamping the said positioned portion of the filament wireto the leading-in wires of the mount and then severing the clampedportion of the lilament wire from the remainder of the supply thereof,said A apparatus comprising support means, a main slide verticallyreciprocable on said support means and disposed above the head at saidstation, spring means normally urging said main slide downwardly, asubslide vertically reciprocable o-n said main slide, clamping meanscomprising a pair of vertically arranged jaw arms pivotally mounted onsaid main slide to pivot in a vertical plane and provided at their lowerends with opposed clamping jaws, cutting means comprising a verticallyarranged lever pivotally mounted on said main slide to pivot in avertical plane and provided at its lower end with a cutting knife,actuating means connected to said subslide to vertically reciprocate itthrough a predetermined stroke, stop means on said support meansengageable with said main slide to limit the downward movement of saidmain slide to a distance less than the full downward stroke of saidsubslide by said actuating means and to locate the said clamping andcutting means in operative position relative to the ilament wire portionto be clamped and severed, abutment shoulders on said main and subslideengageable with each other on the upward stroke of said subslide tocarry the main slide upwardly along with the said subslide, cam means onsaid subslide engageable with the upper ends of said jaw arms, duringthe downward overtravel movement of said subslide relative to the mainslide, to pivot the jaw arms so as to close the clamping jaws thereof,and other cam means on said subslide engageable with the upper end ofsaid lever, during the last portion of the downward over-travel movementof said subslide relative to said main slide, to pivot said lever so asto move the cutting knife thereon through its cutting stroke intoengagement with and across the front face of said die to thereby severthe iilament wire extending therefrom.

12. Apparatus as specified in claim 11 wherein the said lever of saidcutting means is pivotally mounted on one of said jaw arms for its saidpivotal movement in a vertical plane and wherein resilient means areprovided for yieidingly holding said lever in a retracted inoperativeposition with the cutting edge of its cutting knife located a slightdistance backwardly of the clamping jaw face on said one jaw arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,728,048 Flaws Sept. l0, 1929 2,085,578 Flaws .Tune 29, 1937 2,114,844Krause Apr. 19, 1938 2,297,950 Flaws Oct. 6, 1942 2,327,033 Flaws n Aug.17, 1943 2,667,189 Flaws Jan. 26, 1954

